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- What will a second-term Murphy administration do to end school segregation? | Opinion
- Pleasantville church tackles segregation at MLK ceremony
- No time for handwashing, absolving ourselves of segregating schools | Opinion
- Pleasantville to Absecon march against school segregation held on Selma anniversary
- Star-Ledger Guest Columnist By Willie Dwayne Francois III
- Pleasantville school board again opposing Absecon's bid to leave district
- Statewide group mobilizes South Jersey leaders to correct school segregation
- A BLACK WOMAN SAID SHE WAS AFRAID OF THE POLICE. A NEARLY ALL-WHITE DISCIPLINARY PANEL SAID WE DON’T BELIEVE YOU.
- Tickets Out of Poverty? The American Prospect magazine
- New York Times - Justice for Blacks and Whites As the Civil Rights Act Turns 50, Creating Cross-Racial Alliances
- The Diverse Suburbs Movement Has Never Been More Relevant
- Behind tension over Texas pool party, a seismic shift in American suburbs - CSMonitor
- Communities face challenge of sustaining middle class reality
- Building One Ohio summit brings together over 150 local leaders
- 20 Years Later, Law Was Worth The Wait
- Community leaders want collaboration
- Once-aspirational Philadelphia suburbs struggle with poverty
- A tale of two towns reveals tipping point for America's suburbs
- BOA attacked in Breitbart News
- The Bad Economics of Balkanized Suburbs
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Special Tribute to Senator Ronald L. Rice
Senator Ronald L. Rice
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Ms. Sharnell Morgan, 2022 Outstanding Leader of the Year
Ms. Sharnell MorganVice President, Pleasantville, Board of Education
Building One New Jersey chose Ms. Morgan for special recognition as our 2022 Outstanding Leader of the Year for her courage and committed advocacy for children and students and for social and racial justice. |
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Ms. Olivia Caldwell, 2022 Outstanding Leader of the Year
Ms. Olivia Caldwell
Building One New Jersey chose Ms. Caldwell for special recognition as our 2022 Outstanding Leader of the Year for her courage and committed advocacy for children and students and for social and racial justice. |
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Mr. Gerald W. Owens, 2022 Trailblazer of the Year
Mr. Gerald W. Owens
Building One New Jersey Mr. Owens for special recognition as 2022 Trailblazer of the Year for his breakthrough leadership and a lifetime of organizing for justice, equality, and an inclusive and powerful middle class. |
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Rev. Regena Thomas, 2022 Steadfast & Loyal Friend
Rev. Regena Thomas Women, Human & Civil Rights Advocacy Director, American Federation of Teachers
Building One New Jersey Rev. Thomas for special recognition as 2022 Steadfast & Loyal Friend for her breakthrough leadership and many years of fighting for justice, equal rights, and opportunity for all working people. |
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Dr. Scott Rocco, 2022 Public Servant of the Year
Dr. Scott Rocco Hamilton Township School District Superintendent
Building One New Jersey chose Dr. Rocco for special recognition as 2022 Public Servant of the Year for his leadership and service and for his commitment to inclusive, integrated, and high-quality public education. |
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Bishop John Schol Bishop, 2022 Moral Leader of the Year
Bishop John Schol Greater New Jersey Conference, United Methodist Church
Building One New Jersey chose Bishop Schol for special recognition as Moral Leader of the Year for his many years of service and social activism and for the righteous pursuit of power for the cause of justice through faith in action. |
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Dr. Angelica Allen McMillan, 2022 Powerful Ally of the Year
Dr. Angelica Allen McMillan Acting Commissioner, NJ Department of Education
Building One New Jersey chose Dr. Allen McMillan for special recognition as our 2022 Powerful Ally of the Year for her important breakthrough leadership role and for her courage and wisdom in defending inclusion by opposing racial segregation and school district secessions. |
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King Day Observance and Policy Forum at Mount Zion Baptist Church
The Unfinished Work; Ending Segregation, Expanding Democracy
Monday, January 17, 2022 (we will gather remotely via Zoom)
Please join us for a virtual Martin Luther King Day observance and policy forum on racial segregation on Monday, January 17, 2022, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM, ET at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Pleasantville, NJ.
Our coalition that has been battling the deeply entrenched and well-funded forces of racial segregation here in Atlantic County and across the state for some time. We intend to expand and escalate our campaign as we build multi-racial support to win over policymakers through mobilization and direct action.
We can think of no better use of the King Day observance than to launch this important work in the new year and we would be honored if you would join us.

Martin Luther King, Jr. : I Have a Dream Speech (1963)
Martin Luther King Day observance and policy forum on racial segregation, Monday, January 17, 2022, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Pleasantville, NJ (Via Zoom)
Please pre-register here for this remote gathering of faith, community, political and policy leaders.
Leadership Training for Inclusive Communities
LEADERSHIP TRAINING BY BUILDING ONE AMERICA and the SUMMIT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
January 27 through January 30, 2022, Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ
Because space is limited, interested individuals must apply to participate in this program. The application is available online and can be accessed HERE.
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FROM DIVERSITY TO SHARED POWER
Demographic diversity has been increasing throughout American society. While membership and even leadership in many organizations have reflected this change, power and decision-making often fail to keep up with the racial, ethnic, generational and gender make up of our communities and institutions, including labor unions, local government, and religious congregations. This failure has left us weaker and more easily undermined by those who do not share our values of inclusion and opportunity.
One reason for this persistent power gap is that we too often confuse the visual trappings of diversity with genuine equality and political and economic integration. When members of underrepresented groups secure leadership positions they frequently begin at a significant disadvantage. Generational layers of power, privilege, experience and networks of formal and informal relationships are at play in any public arena where power is wielded and important decisions get made. These dynamics are taken for granted or denied by the powerful, while often unseen or not easily understood by the powerless. We frequently find ourselves in organizations, committees, boards and leadership structures that are diverse in name and appearance, but in reality are decidedly lopsided when it comes to the exercise of power.
As Frederick Douglass famously reminded us, power never did and never will be given away by those who have it to those who don’t.
Building One America’s training does not claim to make people more powerful nor does it create diversity, but it does better equip emerging leaders from diverse and working-class backgrounds to better understand and navigate the dynamics of power and politics and to have the tools to compete effectively and further themselves and their values in the public arena. Moreover, it will help individual leaders to recognize more clearly their own potential and motivations to build a powerful and meaningful public life.
Because space is limited, interested individuals must apply to participate in this program. The application is available online and can be accessed HERE.
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Who: This training is for leaders from anywhere who want to become more effective in making a difference – including organizers, leaders and volunteers from the faith community, labor unions, electoral politics, public office holders and grassroots rank-and-file leaders.
What: The training teaches ordinary people to unleash their capacity to impact the social, political, environmental, and economic decisions affecting their lives. The training has been designed and will be conducted by experienced organizers affiliated with Building One America and the Summit for Civil Rights. The training is unique in combining elements of leadership training developed over the past fifty years by national community organizing networks, with a contemporary analysis and strategy for developing multiracial institutional and social power to build more inclusive and equitable communities.
Topics covered include:
- An orientation and reflection on power
- Understanding self-interest as a way to build membership, engage allies and adversaries, and become a more focused and self-motivated leader
- The role, value, and techniques of one-on-one organizing
- Conducting and understanding a power analysis
- Distinguishing the “public” from the “private” in order to build an effective public life
- The key principles and elements of strategy and tactics and issues and action
- Identifying and developing leaders
- The importance of organized money
- Principles and techniques for effective meetings
- Personal reflection, strategic planning and developing a personal path to power
The training is not just an intellectual exercise. It challenges and helps experienced leaders and emerging leaders to identify, reflect on, and overcome internalized attitudes and beliefs that stand in the way of becoming more powerful and impactful. The goal is to produce more powerful leaders and to facilitate the expansion of more powerful and more unified multiracial coalitions and structures.
When: The training will take place over four days starting Thursday, January 27 through Sunday January 30, 2022.
Where: Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ
Cost: Tuition plus room and board is $625 per participant for affliaites and sponsoring organizations.
Because space is limited, interested individuals must apply to participate in this program. The application is available online and can beaccessed HERE.
TESTIMONIALS
The training institute helped me become a more powerful leader, acting more strategically, efficiently, and decisively, creating greater accountability for myself and others - Eloise Henry, President, Richmond Heights (OH) City Council
...a very powerful training. It equipped me with the tools to reinvent myself - Rev. Rohan Hepkins, Mayor, Yeadon, PA
This is the most relevant, intense and productive conference I have ever attended - Heather Sorge, Campaign Organizer, Healthy Schools Now
Despite 40 plus years in politics, I found the 4-day training to be new, useful, and refreshing. It was helpful in expanding my own political power and in understanding and dealing with others who are exercising theirs. Ant it led to new and significant relationships for me - Dale Miller, Member, Cuyahoga (OH) County Council
Completely caught me by surprise. I thought I knew what being a leader meant, but the training showed me parts of leadership that I knew nothing about. It really helped me with my networking skills and in my new position as President of CWRUs Black Student Union. I’m excited to see what it can do for more people in our community - Aliah Lawson Executive Chair, Black Student Union, Case Western Reserve University
Learned how our stories of powerlessness informs our own path to power. I had great moments of clarity - Ashley Bennett, Freeholder, Atlantic County
It was helpful. Extraordinarily. Thank you! - Tomea Sippio-Smith - Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PA) Education Policy Director
Training was awesome. Confirmation for me as well as new found skills – Alexis Rean-Walker, HPAE, Secretary-Treasurer
Learned new skills for active listening and relationship development; clearer understanding of power dynamics that drive organizations and elected leaders; deeper understanding of structural causes of inequity and a path to racial integration; and practical steps to develop an inclusive and powerful network that can drive change - Tom Bullock, Member at Large, Lakewood (OH) City Council
Key learning moments were understanding my power, self interest and anger. Thank you! – Martha Camacho-Rodriguez - Cerritos College, Trustee, Norwalk, CA
I’ve become more confident and feel that I have fully stepped into my leadership role - Safronia Perry, Executive Director, Hope Station (PA) Area Neighborhood Council
I used to stay in the back of the room, rarely speak, and try to be invisible. The training helped me to find my voice - Darnelle Crenshaw, Student, Case Western Reserve University
The training did a terrific job encouraging us to reflect on times when we feel powerless, and to consider how those times can help shape how we react to the world and drive us in our work. - Tim Nelson, Vice President, Braham (Minnesota) Evangelical Lutheran Church Council, Chair, Braham (Minnesota) Area Education Foundation
Thank you. The training was awesome – Taylor Picket Stokes, Rescue Mission of Trenton
The training rocked my world and gave me a new roadmap for action. Amazingly intense and perspective-shifting. Great content, compelling examples, helpful exercises and an energized group of participants. - Gary Forman, Trustee and Executive Committee Member, SOMA Action
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Event Date:
Thursday, January 27, 2022 - 10:00am to Sunday, January 30, 2022 - 4:00pm
Event location:
Atlantic City, NJ
Event Fee:
Tuition is $625 per participant (including lodging and meals)